Me

About

Aloha! I'm Dina!

I know all too well the countless hours of research we, as parents, put into molding our vacations to fit our needs. Sending email after email, phone call after phone call, my youngest son pulling my hand to grab a snack, and my oldest son melting down because his time limit was up on Minecraft. Once all is planned, our journey is everything but smooth due to autism meltdowns, toddler temper tantrums, fumbling with strollers and probably way too much luggage, our destination becomes all that more difficult to get to.

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When my oldest son was diagnosed with autism. I was simply unaware that the behaviors he was presenting were different from his neurotypical brother. I didn’t know how much sensory overload and how scared of new things he was until he was diagnosed. I thought our travels were over once I realized how difficult it was becoming to travel with him. It wasn’t until my son came home from school one day and said he wanted to visit the National Mall. I realized that our travels didn’t have to stop because of the diagnosis, instead, they just needed to be modified to make traveling easier for him. At this point, I realized if I as a parent of a child with autism was struggling to travel and find the right accommodations for my child other families with special needs might be facing this same struggle.

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This is why I founded Lily and Magnolia Travel to help remove the stress and effort that comes with planning a vacation, especially if your family requires special considerations. I want to help make your trip smooth and as painless as possible. I will help you find the right travel suppliers, airline carriers to fit your needs and travel destinations that are a good fit for your family. I’ll make sure you are able to enjoy the travel destination to the fullest because travel is for everyone. Curious to learn how I can help you?

your leisure time is extremely valuable!

As a family with a loved one with special needs,

Vacation planning can be overwhelming, and sometimes scary if you’re planning a visit to a place you’ve never been to.

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And I’ve been to quite a few places!

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I grew up as a military child, I enlisted in the Air Force when I graduated high school and now travel the world as a military spouse. My youth was spent in Japan, learning the culture and language and met my husband. My truest nature came forth during my time in Hawaii. Sun, sand, and tank tops are what make my heartbeat! My extended family lives in Turkey and visiting them brings me back to my roots and fuels my wanderlust.

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And as a mother of two and wife of an active duty service member, I understand how life can put your travel plans on the back burner or make traveling financially difficult. Let me help you create memories with your family that are long-lasting and worthy of your very precious family time. If all this sounds good to you, fill out my trip planning form, andlet’s get started planning you an unforgettable trip for your family.